The Hindu : International : Polls a vote of confidence: Putin

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Sunday, Dec 02, 2007
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Polls a vote of confidence: Putin

Vladimir Radyuhin

United Russia likely to win four-fifths of seats in House

PHOTO: AFP

FLYING HIGH: Flags of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party in Moscow on Saturday.

MOSCOW: Russia is holding parliamentary elections on Sunday that is expected to strengthen President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power as he prepares to hand over power to a trusted successor.

United Russia, which controlled two-thirds of the previous House, is set to sweep the election again. Out of the other 10 parties in the field, no more than four have any chances to win seats in the 450-member State Duma. The Communist Party may get the second best result with about 14 per cent of the votes.

It is the first election after the electoral law was modified to eliminate constituency seats and raise the threshold for gaining seats from 5 to 7 per cent.

Mr. Putin energised the otherwise uninspiring election campaign by agreeing to lead the electoral list of United Russia, even though he declined to join the party. With his approval rating holding steady at an incredible 80 per cent, Mr. Putin has lent more popularity to United Russia, which is largely seen as a party of bureaucrats.

Some polls suggested United Russia may get up to four-fifths of the seats in the new Duma.

Mr. Putin, who is barred by the Constitution from seeking a third consecutive term in office in the March 2 presidential election, said United Russia must convincingly win the parliamentary poll in order to ensure that his plans for the country “do not go down the drain” after he steps down next year.

He said he saw the parliamentary poll as a vote of confidence, not so much in the party he leads as in himself as he struggles to ensure smooth transition of presidential authority. If Mr. Putin gets a strong mandate in Sunday’s poll this would help him ensure the victory next March of his favoured presidential candidate, who will be nominated by United Russia shortly after the parliamentary election. He also said this will give him a “moral authority” to control the new administration after he steps down.

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